Online Campaigns

Now that election fever is about to set in, I am excited to see the possibilities that the internet can bring to political campaigns.

May 2010 is, perhaps, the first of many Philippine elections that will be using the internet as a main medium for political campaigns. If before the internet was merely one of the mediums a candidate can utilize in his campaign, today, the internet has become a necessary "place" or "area" to campaign in. The number of people that an online campaign can reach simply far exceeds the number a candidate can actually meet in a day. This realization has, in fact, brought a cyber aspect to one's political team, making the creation of a candidate's website or social media profile a necessity. Truth be told, the internet can now make or break a candidate.

Given the considerations above, I do not doubt that many politicians will abuse this medium. Thus, it will also be interesting to see how the state, through the COMELEC, will be able to control this type of campaigning. With the recent overturning of the Penera decision by the Supreme Court, I expect to see a lot of online campaigning by next week.


- Aaron Ho (2nd Entry)